Clearly, low observability is part of the [new ISR/strike aircraft] equation. It also makes sense to put ‘find and fix’ sensors on the same platform that applies the effect. And not all those effects may be kinetic. Technology has pushed us beyond [the bomber], and fiscal constraints push us toward [multi-role]. The most important part of a future bomber is not to deliver bombs but to assimilate information rapidly and translate it into decisions. — Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, Stellvertretender Stabschef ISR zitiert in David A. Fulghum, “New ISR Project Planned For 2011“, Aviation Week, 21.12.09.

Many aviation experts question why the Air Force needs a stealth unmanned aerial vehicle inside Afghanistan to fight the Taliban — an enemy with no air force or radar. Experts such as Phil Finnegan, a UAV analyst at the Teal Group, an aerospace consulting firm, suggest the stealth capabilities are being used to fly in nearby countries. Neighboring Iran has an air force and air defense system that would require stealth technology to penetrate. — Michael Hoffman, “Unveiling the ‘Beast of Kandahar’“, AirForceTimes, 23.12.09.